CHICAGO (Reuters) - Magnolia bark extract -- a traditional
Chinese medicine -- may be the newest weapon in the war on bad
breath.

Chewing gum maker Wm Wrigley Jr Co said on Tuesday that it
has added a bit of this germ-killing compound to their Eclipse
gum and mints. The hope is to not simply mask bad breath, as
most strongly flavored mints and gums do, but to kill
odor-causing bacteria.

Magnolia bark extract has long been a staple of traditional
Chinese medicine. It is used to treat fever, headache and
stress -- and has proven effective against germs that cause
ulcers. Recent studies have shown it has low toxicity and few
side effects.

Most bad breath occurs when bacteria in the mouth break
down proteins, producing foul-smelling sulfur compounds. But
many antimicrobial agents cause nasty side effects like tooth
staining, making them impractical for oral care.

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According to research published last fall by company
scientists, researchers in Wrigley's lab tested magnolia bark
extract on cultures of three types of oral microorganisms. The
extract killed 99.9 percent of the microorganisms within five
minutes, the researchers said.

In a study of nine volunteers who chewed the mints after
lunch, they killed off more than 61 percent of the germs that
cause bad breath within 30 minutes -- which is comparable to
some commercial mouthwashes, the company study found. Mints
without the extract were only 3.6 percent effective.

Gum with the extract took a bit longer to kill oral
bacteria. The extract also helped kill a group of bacteria that
causes tooth decay.

Wrigley's tree-bark gum will be on U.S. store shelves later
this summer. Mints with the tree-bark extract will be available
this fall.